


Growing Up Fast

by whynot



Series: Finn and Celeste [1]
Category: Fallout 3
Genre: Backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-14 23:00:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13017993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whynot/pseuds/whynot
Summary: Celeste, the OC I'm pairing with Finn, is also my Lone Wanderer, so I thought I'd post her backstory.-ellie





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Celeste, the OC I'm pairing with Finn, is also my Lone Wanderer, so I thought I'd post her backstory.
> 
> -ellie

Cel didn't have time to shout before a hand slapped over her mouth, a pair of arms yanking her out of the corridor and into the boys' bathroom. Only when the door was closed and locked did the hand slip away, and she was surrounded by the Tunnel Snakes, a bottle in Butch's hand. 

"Payback time, nosebleed," he grinned. Cel would've smiled at the green streaking his hair, but since she had a feeling of what was about to happen, her expression tightened into apprehension.

"Come on, Butch, just dye the green away!" she countered, trying to wriggle out of Freddie's arms. 

"It ain't about that. It's about you messin' with my hair gel!" He squeezed a big glob of white dye onto his plastic-gloved hand. 

"Butch— No!" The dye was cold on her scalp, and all she could do was cause a bit of annoyance to Freddie as Butch drenched her head, getting every strand of her blonde hair. Once the was done, Freddie tied her arms with his jacket and tossed her into one of the stalls, attaching her to the door hook.

"Let that soak in, kid," Butch sneered. "See ya!"

Cel growled in frustration and tried to free herself, but the knots that Freddie had tightened were too strong for her to break out of in the position she was in. So she was forced to wait an hour before the Vault's current custodian unlocked the bathroom and freed her. She raced to her quarters and washed the dye out, then took a long look at her now silver-dyed hair.

"... Huh."

"Cel?"

"In here, pops."

"Where have you— oh!" He appeared in the mirror, gray eyes wide. "Um... Interesting aesthetic choice."

"Does... does it look good?" She turned to him, tucking a lock of damp hair behind her ear. "I... kinda like it."

"It's... different. Not bad. I suppose I can get used to it." He cupped her cheeks. "If you want to experiment with different styles, I wholeheartedly support you, darling."

"It's kinda..." She cleared her throat. "Kinda like mom's, huh?"

He smiled. "I was just thinking that." He put his hand on her back and walked with her into their sitting room, lifting the framed photo from the coffee table. "You've got most of my looks, but you have her smile. And now, I suppose, her hair choice."

Cel took the photo from him and decided to keep Butch's part in the 'decision' a secret. "Yeah. But... I don't think I'll style it like hers. I wouldn't look great with a mohawk."

Her father chuckled. "Yes, well. One step at a time. By the way, Mr. Brotch is looking for you. Your results are in for the G.O.A.T. You can find him in the classroom."

"Well, where else would he be?"

"Several places. He doesn't live there, you know."

She waved him off and headed straight for the classroom, keeping an eye out for Butch. She was excited to rub in his face how his prank turned out. 

 

"Cel," Brotch smiled, looking up from the papers on his desk. "Nice hair."

"Always the supportive one, you are," she responded with a smile of her own. "You have my test done?"

Yes, um..." He cleared his throat. "Looks like you'll be putting your… _physical talents_ to good use as the vault's new Masseuse.”

Cel huffed and braced her hands on his desk. “That’s not what I wanted.”

Mr. Brotch cocked a brow. “Oh? And what did you want?”

She narrowed her eyes at his suggestive tone. "I, uh... wouldn't mind being your teaching assistant. I know they've been talking about giving you one. And we both know my work in class shows that I'd be great at it."

"We both know, huh?" He folded his arms in front of him. "... That's quite the stretch from Masseuse."

"I didn't take the test seriously."

"Do you take anything seriously?"

"Why should I? Being stuck down in this Vault is a joke, might as well act like it."

"Oh, Cel," Brotch sighed. "I'm too tired to get into this with you right now." He scanned over her test. "... Oh. It seems I've made a few mistakes. Looks like you'll be getting what you wanted after all."

Cel grinned. "Glad to hear it."

He shot her a wink, and Cel left the classroom.

 

* * *

 

_**One Year Later** _

 

Cel made sure her footsteps were sluggish and loud as the vault security guard towed her down the corridor. “C’mon, just let me go,” she said tiredly.

“This is gettin’ old, Celeste,” O’Hara responded. “These pranks of yours haveta stop. Christ, you’re not even spacin’ them out anymore.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“Cherry bombs in the Overseer’s toilet might not seem ‘that bad’ to you, but it ain’t like that to the man runnin’ this place.” He slid the office door up and dropped Cel into the desk chair, then stood in front of her with his arms crossed. “Look, it ain’t even me. I think he’s overreacting. But you can’t just do shit like that and not expect to get in trouble.”

Cel draped an arm over the chair’s backrest and smirked. “Did you think it was funny? C’mon, it’s me you’re talkin’ to.”

O’Hara glanced away from her, tongue prodding at the inside of his cheek. “… Okay, it was a little funny.” He held up a finger when she grinned. “A little!”

“C’mon, Sal, just let me go!”

“And tell the Overseer what?”

“That I served the appropriate punishment. Sal…” She straightened up. “Please. You know I hate being locked up.”

“You think I like seein’ you locked up? You’re a breath of fresh fuckin’ air in this Vault. I’m pretty sure even the DeLoria kid smiles when he sees you walkin’ free.”

She slumped back again. “Yeah, ‘cause it means he can pick a fight with me.”

“Whatever works.” Cel huffed out a laugh at that, and O’Hara clenched his jaw. “… Get outta here. Keep low for a while.”

She grinned and shot up from her seat. “Thanks, Sal. I owe you one.”

“Yeah, yeah. Ya know, if you weren’t such a fuckin’ charmer you’d be locked up 24/7.”

“Then it’s a good thing that I am, right?” She shot him a wink and breezed past him.

Sal chased her out, grabbing the doorframe and swinging out into the corridor to watch her jog away. “Stay outta trouble!”

She glanced back at him. “No promises!”

 

* * *

 

Cel paused when she noticed the cafeteria door already unlocked. It was two hours passed curfew, so it should've been closed for the night. She hesitated, then pulled the door up to find Butch sitting on the counter, a bottle of whiskey in his fist. Cel stepped onto the checkered tile and closed the door, loud enough for him to look up. His eyes were red and puffy.

"Get outta here, nosebleed," he told her, roughly wiping under his nose with the sleeve of his vault suit.

"Is it your mom again?" Cel asked, crossing the room to haul herself up next to him. 

"I said get outta—"

"Shut up." There was no bite to her voice.

Butch scoffed and turned his head away, but didn't argue. They sat there in silence, and Cel listened to his breathing. The sixth inhale was shaky, and Butch hunched over, bracing his elbows on his knees. With an awkward jerk of her hand, Cel reached for him, rubbing her palm up his back and over his shoulder blade. She tugged him closer, and after halfheartedly resisting for a moment, Butch fell into her. Cel reached for the bottle of whiskey, and his grip tightened on its short neck.

"Give me the whiskey, Butch."

"Fuck off."

"You wanna be like her?"

He stiffened, and Cel tried again, this time managing to take the bottle away from him to put it aside. They sat there awhile longer, Cel gently massaging the back of Butch's neck until his shoulders suddenly bounced with a quiet sob. 

"Butch," she whispered, her heart clenching. The 'love' part of their love/hate relationship had her feeling for him, had her wanting to take the pain away. She tugged on his suit, and he laid down, his head falling into her lap. The hand that had held the whiskey now clung to her thigh, blunt nails digging in as Butch let himself cry. Cel raked her fingers through his hair, staring at the floor as she comforted him.

 

"I'm gettin' outta here one day," Butch told her after what must have been an hour. "S'a fuckin' promise."

Cel smiled. "I'll hold you to it." She paused. "... Come with me. I wanna show you something."

 

 

“You suck,” Cel told Butch after he pulled the BB gun's trigger and missed the target completely.

“Oh yeah? Well sorry I haven’t had years of practice like you.”

She yanked the BB gun from his grip and aimed. She took her shot, and Butch nodded when the BB hit the center of the target.

“Not bad.” He took the BB gun when it was offered again, and his next attempt was, of course, a miss. “Dammit!”

A laugh bubbled up from  Cel’s throat. “How can you be so bad at this?”

“What am I doing wrong?”

She was surprised by the genuine question. “You just… Here, aim again but don’t shoot.”

He did as she said, his eyes following her as she moved to stand closer to him. He let her reposition his arms and moved his feet when she kicked them to correct his stance.

“Squeeze the trigger.”

He obeyed, and his shot hit the target. Butch breathed out a triumphant laugh, eyes bright. “Nice! Your turn.”

Cel took the gun with a smile.

 

* * *

 

_**Two years later** _

 

“Wake up! Come on, you’ve got to wake up!”

Celeste slapped Amata’s hands off her shoulders and turned over. “I’m trying to sleep.”

“No, you have to wake up!” Amata insisted, grabbing Cel’s shoulder and shaking it again. “My father’s men are looking for you!”

“They’re always looking for me,” Cel reminded, finally sitting up. “But what did I do this time… Oh, right, I-“

“Cel!” Amata huffed. “It’s not because of anything you did. It was your dad. He's left the Vault! I don't know how, but he's gone, and my father... he's kind of gone crazy.”

Cel stood up, her gut wrenching at the look in her friend’s eyes. “What is it, what’s happened?”

“My father's men killed Jonas. They took him, and... Oh my God, you have to leave, now!”

The edges of her mind froze, and a wave of nausea hit her. “Who. Tell me who.”

“I don’t know, some of my father’s men. Look, that doesn't matter right now! You need to worry about getting out of here alive! Revenge will have to wait. My father’s men could be here any minute, so shut up and listen!”

She nodded. “Shutting up and listening.”

“Finally! Look, it all started with your dad he's escaped from the Vault somehow. I guess you didn't know. Jonas must have helped him escape, and when my father found out, he kind of went crazy. They think you're part of it. And I don't think they'll be interested in listening to your explanations! So… so you’ll have to follow your dad. You’ll have to leave the Vault. There's a secret tunnel that leads directly from my father's office to the exit. You'll have to hack the computer in his office to open it. You have those bobby pins you keep with you?”

“Yeah, right here.”

“Good. Here, take this pistol. Your dad let in radroaches when he left.”

“No, no. you keep it. You’ll need it more than I do.” Cel curled Amata’s fingers over the weapon’s grip.

“Well… all right. I’ll try and meet you at the entrance. Good luck!”

Cel watched Amata rush out of her quarters before grabbing an empty bag. She stuffed all of her underclothes into it, along with cans of purified water from the miniature refrigerator and the BB gun she had moved to her room after her target area was discovered. After a moment’s thought she opened her bottom drawer and grabbed her baseball cap, along with the Grognak comic Amata had gifted her and a holotape of old-world songs. Finally she shrugged the pack on and hurried out into the corridor, then looked around her living quarters for what was most likely the last time.

“Hey! She’s over here!”

She turned her head to the guard down the hall just in time to see him tackled to the ground by a herd of radroaches. She screwed her eyes shut against his pained screams and pulled the door shut, then jogged down the hall and retrieved the pistol that the guard had dropped before rushing away. She only managed to reach the next corridor before a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into the Deloria’s living room.

“What the fuck is happening, Cel?!” Butch whispered harshly. “Fuckin’ gunshots and roaches everywhere?”

“I can’t explain right now, Butch,” she told him, hating how frantic her voice sounded. “I have to go.”

“Go? Go where?”

“My dad left the Vault and the guards think I was in on it so now they’re after me and I… Shit, I have to go.”

“Left? He couldn’t have left, the door’s-“

“Butch!”

“All right, all right! Just…” He shifted his weight. “… Lemme come with you to the door.”

“Butch, I-“

“No time to argue, right? Let’s go.”

Her argument died in her throat, and she gave him the BB gun. “In case we run into roaches.”

Butch hefted it in his grip. “Guess those lessons are gonna come in handy, huh? Lead the way, nosebleed.”

Cel nodded and let out a heavy breath before stepping out of the room with Butch. She waited a moment for him to close and lock the door, then continued on. They ignored the scurrying radroaches and shouting guards. When they were half-way through the Vault, they heard the Overseer’s voice come from the guard office.

“Be reasonable, Amata. Officer Mack may enjoy this, but I don't. Just tell us where to find your friend, so we can talk to her.”

Cel looked through the window and saw Amata sitting in a chair in front of her father and officer Mack.

“If you think I’ll betray her, you don’t know me very well,” Amata said, voice shaken but defiant.

Alphonse sighed. “Again, officer.”

Officer Mack slapped Amata hard across the face, and Cel felt anger boil in her chest. She rushed into the room and punched Officer Mack’s jaw, hearing a quiet but satisfying crack. “Get out of here, Amata!” Cel ordered, and her friend stopped beside her.

“He’s the one who gave the order to kill Jonas,” Amata told her before running out of the office.

As soon as the information registered, Cel threw more punches at Mack until blood was gushing from his nose and mouth, then grabbed her pistol and sent a bullet into his head. Her eyes followed him as he slumped to the floor, blood quickly pooling under him. Another bout of rage hit her, and she fired rounds into his chest.

“Cel!” Butch shouted, “Celeste stop it! Christ, he’s dead already!” He pried the gun out of her hand and put his own on the back of her head, gripping a fistful of her hair. “Look at me! Just take a deep breath. You’re okay.”

“He killed Jonas,” she argued, not able to stop her body from shaking. “He killed him!”

“And you got ‘im back. He’s dead. You… shit, you really killed ‘im.”

Alphonse’s voice spoke up. “And don’t think it will go unpunished.”

Butch let go of Cel’s hair and they both turned to the Overseer, but Cel was the one who took a stand in front of him. “If you ever lay a hand on Amata again, I'll make you regret it.” she warned.

The Overseer straightened up. “I place the good of the Vault above everything, even my own paternal feelings. We must not allow sentiment to cloud our judgment! But I admire your protective instincts. Very well. I give you my word that Amata will not suffer further because of your actions. Now then. If you really care about Amata, you will see how dangerous your father's actions were. Hand over your weapons, and put an end to this dangerous situation. There's no need to join your father as a traitor to the Vault.”

Not interested in hearing another word from him, Cel easily punched him to knock him out, knowing exactly where to hit thanks to her father, and he crumpled to the floor. She wrested the pistol from Butch and aimed it at the Overseer’s head.

“Cel, don’t,” Butch told her, voice careful.

“He gave the order to kill Jonas,” she responded. “He had Mack torture Amata.”

“You kill him, and you’ll never forgive yourself.”

She swallowed hard and readjusted her grip, only to lower her weapon. She turned to Butch. “The only reason I’m letting him live is for Amata.”

“I know. Now let’s go.” He moved out of the way to let her take the lead before following her out of the office. They ran down the last corridor and entered the lab to find Jonas lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

“Shit,” Butch breathed, and Cel crouched down next to the scientist’s body.

“Jonas…” she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. She removed his glasses and tucked them away, then noticed the holotape in his breast pocket. She slid it out, revealing the label that read 'From Dad'.

"Here, Cel."

She looked up and took the med kit from Butch. "Thanks. Overseer’s office is close. Let’s go.”

Butch nodded and followed close behind her to the office. It only took a moment to hack into the Overseer's terminal, thanks to her dad’s teachings. She opened the tunnel and rushed down the hidden stairs with Butch, then went through an empty room and down a short corridor to get to the Vault’s entrance. She pulled the lever, and the door slowly opened as the alarm sounded.

“I don’t believe it… You actually opened it.”

Cel and Butch turned their heads to see Amata staring at the door with wide eyes. “When I say I’m going to do something…” Cel nodded to the door and huffed out a breath. “I do it.”

“I know, I never should have doubted you,” Amata admitted with a relieved laugh. Then her smile faded, and she turned her attention back to the tunnel. “Everything they told us was a lie, wasn’t it. Things can never go back to the way they were.”

Cel took her hand. “Come with me. We can leave this place forever and rule the Wasteland.”

Amata smiled sadly. “It’s tempting, but… my place is here. The Vault needs me more than you do. I'm the only one who has a chance to talk some sense into my father. Don't worry about me. Whatever happens, I'm sure I'll be in less danger than you. I can't imagine what you're going to find out there…”

She turned to the Tunnel Snake. “Butch?”

“My mom’s gonna need me,” he answered. “Now more than ever. I can’t leave yet.”

“Listen,” Amata told her, “when you do catch up with your dad, tell him I’m sorry. For my father, and Jonas, and… and everything. I’ll miss you.” She pulled Cel into a tight hug.

“Hey, we’ll probably see each other again,” Cel told her, gently pulling away. “We can’t go too long without one of us having to save the other.”

“Hopefully the situation won’t be as dire,” Amata joked.

Cel finally turned to Butch. “Uh… Bye to you, too. I guess.”

“Yeah. I know it’ll be hard to live without seein’ my gorgeous mug every day, but try to get by.” He smiled when she breathed out a laugh, then yanked off his Tunnel Snakes jacket and shoved it to her chest. “Good luck out there, nosebleed. Maybe I'll meet ya out there sometime.”

She cradled the jacket in her arms. “You better. You made a promise, remember?”

A loud bang came from the metal door behind them, along with a commanding voice. “They’re escaping! Get this door open!”

Amata gave Cel a firm push towards the door. “Go, now!”

She jumped over the steps just as the door crash open, and bullets pelted behind her as she dashed down the tunnel to the wooden door leading to the Wasteland.

“Cel!”

She stopped with her hand on the door when she heard O’Hara’s voice. After a moment of hesitation, she turned around to see the officer standing at the steps, aiming his pistol at her. Two other guards stood behind him, holding back Amata and Butch.

“Yeah, Sal?” she called back, voice uncertain.

O’Hara slowly lowered his weapon and put his hand on the door lever. “Stay outta trouble.”

She gave him the brightest smile she could muster. “No promises.”

“Then at least… stay safe out there.” He pulled the lever after Cel nodded, and she could hear the other guards scolding O’Hara for letting her leave as the door screeched closed.

With a deep breath, she pushed open the wooden door and stepped out into the Capital Wasteland.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Two weeks later** _

 

"Aw, poor little girl. Your pretty hair get dirty?"

Cel wiped away a tear with the heel of her palm and scowled at Jericho. She could feel the blood and brain matter weighing down the silver strands, some smeared on her cheek. "I don't like using a shotgun."

"Bein' picky is gonna get you fuckin' killed out here. Mutants don't go down easy, and a shotgun is your best choice." He stepped closer to her and gripped her chin. "You gonna cry more about it? Go ahead, little girl. C'mon, cry for me. Show me those tears."

"Fuck off!" She shoved him hard. "Why're you so fucking mean?!" Another hard shove, and he retaliated, taking her arm in a bruising grip and pinning her to the grimy wall.

"You wanna act tough, I will _treat you_ like you're tough," he growled. "Listen up, princess. I'm mean 'cause I fuckin' gotta be. If I was all sugar and smiles like you, and I didn't have someone like me watchin' my back? My brains would be in someone's hair just like the mutant's in yours."

Crocodile tears flowed down her cheeks, and she sucked down a shrieking sob. "I hate this!" She broke free of his grip and buried her face into his chest. "I hate it, Jericho!"

He stiffened, but didn't pull her back. "Yeah, well this is your life now. Get used to it."

"I don't wanna turn into you." She felt his laugh jump in his chest.

"You ain't gotta, princess. But you can't come off like yourself. You'll be eaten alive." He tugged her off of him. "C'mon, lemme see that scowl again."

She wiped her face and did as he said, trying her best to look... well, mean.

He assessed her for a moment. "... We'll work on it. But for now?" He squared his shoulders and straightened up, and Cel took a step back. "See, that right there? Gotta fuckin' fix that." He took a step back and motioned for her to do the same. Then he advanced, everything about him saying "don't fuck with me". Cel shrunk away again. "Fuckin' stop it," he chuckled. "Somebody tries that with you, you do it right back. Show 'em you ain't takin' shit from 'em."

Cel hesitated before nodding. Jericho stepped back again, and this time, even though every instinct Cel had told her to back off, she advanced when he did.

"There ya go!" he smiled. "Not bad for a third attempt. You're still makin' yourself smaller, but you braved it forward." He picked out a chunk of brain from her hair. "You'll get the hang of it."

 

* * *

 

_**Two months later** _

 

Her dad stumbled over to the door and leaned against it. “Run,” he told Cel, falling to his knees. “Run!”

“Dad?!” she called, her voice shaking and desperate as she pounded her fists on the door. “Dad!”

He looked beyond her. “Get her out of here!”

Strong hands gripped her arms, and she was spun around to see Jericho before he bent down and hauled her over his shoulder and carried her away. Cel pressed her hands against the small of his back, scrabbling against him. “Let go!” she shrieked. “Let go of me! Fucking dammit, I said let go!” She craned her neck, watched her dad slump to the floor. "Daddy!"

The door closed behind them.

"Ya gotta fuckin' focus, Cel," Jericho told her. "All right? This ain't the time ta let this get ta ya. I know it fuckin' hurts, but focus." He carried her down into a tunnel complex with the rest of the Project Purity team that survived.

“Celeste, Jericho," Doctor Li said, "you two lead the way. You're the only ones with a good bit of combat experience."

_You’re angry. Kill something._

Cel kneed Jericho in the ribs and managed to squirm off his shoulder when he recoiled. "Great idea. Come on, Jericho."

"Cel—"

She pushed ahead before he could say what he wanted to. The only things in their way through most of the tunnel complex were feral ghouls, but once they reached a terminal-controlled sealed door, a group of Enclave soldiers emerged from a side room. Celeste went mad, became reckless and went blind from rage. She took down nine soldiers before one of them hit her waist with a blast from a laser rifle. Jericho scooped her up and carried her through the door that she hadn't realized had opened. Their group rushed through, and Doctor Li locked the door behind them to save a bit of time.

"You fuckin' idiot," Jericho scolded as they strode through another tunnel. "I told ya time and time again not ta get fuckin' stupid like that."

Cel was shaking, couldn't stop. The wound hurt so fucking badly, and the skin surrounding it was raw and scabbed. "S-sorry. I-I-"

"Shut it. We'll talk about it later."

"Her wound is too severe to treat here with amount of supplies we have," Li informed. "We'll get her to the clinic as soon as we reach the Citadel."

"Citadel?" Jericho repeated. "Where the fuck are we—"

One of the scientists collapsed as soon as they stepped through another doorway leading to split tunnels. "Madison... It's... I..."

"Garza," Li mumbled, crouching down in front of him. "I don't have anything with me, but if we just get to the—"

A distant explosion went off somewhere in the tunnel complex. More Enclave soldiers. 

"We need ta move," Jericho urged. "Cel can't fight like this, and I can't handle all those fuckers myself."

"Garza can't move very quickly in this condition," Li responded.

Jericho looked down at Cel, stared into her eyes for a moment. Then he handed her to Daniel. "Go. I'll hold them off as long as I can, but ya gotta move fuckin' fast. And gettin' Cel fixed up better be the first thing you fuckin' do."

Cel reached for him, clung a hand to his shirt. "Jericho, no."

He gently uncurled her fingers and enveloped her hand in both of his. "Let me keep this promise, princess. Let me die with that, at least. I need to. And you needa get outta here so you can finish what he started."

She stared at him for moment, stunned. _Keep her safe,_  her father had told him, a fierceness in his eyes Cel had never seen before. _She’s all I have left. Promise me you’ll keep her safe._

Cel had rolled her eyes and walked away before she heard Jericho answer. She hadn’t even considered that he actually accepted.

"I-I need you," she heaved out, wanting to put her other hand on his but not able to because of the pain. "I need you—"

"No. No, you don't. Not anymore." He cupped the back of her head and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, then to the corner of her mouth. "Remember everything I stuffed inta that head of yours, huh?"

Heavy footsteps echoed from where they had just come through, and Jericho let go of Cel's hand to grab his rifle "Get movin', all of ya. I can only keep 'em back for a minute or two."

He closed the door before anyone could respond.

 

* * *

 

_**One month later** _

 

She felt dizzy, her vision was blurred, and an itching, tingling burn spread over every inch of her skin. As she put in the purifier's code, her father’s voice recited the quote in her mind.

_21:6_

_I am Alpha and Omega_

_The beginning…_

“And the end,” she said aloud, her own voice sounding far away. The floor vibrated underneath her, and it was enough to shake her balance. She slumped to the floor, heard Sarah’s muffled cry of her name.

_Dad… Jonas… mom… we did it._

A face stared down at her from inside the purifier, hard and unblinking.

Jericho's voice echoed in her mind before everything went black.

_Not bad, princess._

* * *

 

  _ **Two weeks later**_

 

"Hey, I think she's wakin' up."

"It would probably be best not to poke her like that."

"I think I know how to wake up my best friend, Charon."

"From a coma?"

"Ha! The way she usually sleeps, it should be the same thing."

Celeste swatted away the finger jabbing her and groaned, turning onto her side and blinking her eyes open to see Butch sitting at her side, with a familiar ghoul standing behind him. "What...?"

"Rise and shine, buttercup!" Butch said with a wide grin.

the familiarity had her turning away. "Shh."

"You slept for two weeks, you don't get any more time."

"What?!"  She bolted up, immediately regretting it when a wave of dizziness hit her. "Oh, god, my head." She slapped a hand over her forehead and looked up, and now she recognized the ghoul. She had killed his scumbag of an owner and ripped up his contract. "How'd you two end up together?"

"He's a merc I snagged as backup after I left the Vault. Thanks again for fixin' things, by the way. Both in the Vault and out here. You're a hero, man." He looked over his shoulder at Charon. "Can you go find the old man?"

Charon nodded and left without a word.

"Nice guy," Cel grumbled.

"He's gettin' there." Butch leaned forward. "... I'm real glad ya made it out alive, Cel."

With a sigh, she shifted to make some room and patted the spot next to her on the bed. Butch laid down beside her, folding his arms under his head.

"... You seen the stars?" he asked. "First thing I thought when I did was, 'holy shit, Cel prob'ly lost it.' I know how much you and Brotch talked about... whatever ya call it."

"Astronomy."

"Yeah. That."

She nodded. "It's so much prettier than I thought it would be. The night sky."

"Yeah. Seems so much closer, too. Anyway..." He turned on his side to face her. "I'm startin' a new Tunnel Snakes gang out here. How'd you like to be an honorary member?"

Cel smiled. "Sounds great, Butch. I'm in."

"Great." He smiled back, and Charon returned with Elder Lyons. "I kept my promise, by the way."

She giggled. "Yeah. I could tell."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought of Butch and Charon being a pairing for like 2 seconds then fell in love with it, so I might play around with the idea.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a friend asked me to write about Cel getting her back tattoo, so here's this
> 
> \- ellie

"It's lookin' good," Gob told her.

Cel let out a harsh laugh, the noise muffled by the new Tunnel Snakes jacket Butch had wedged under her face so it wasn't planted on the counter. After he left the Vault, he started to design a new logo, and Cel approved. It had a tunnel snake, that was mandatory, but instead of just the snake, its marred body was strangling the neck of a roaring Yao Guai.

"It better," she responded, lifting her head just enough for her voice to be audible. Getting a tattoo hurt more than she expected it would.

"You should know without 'im tellin' ya," Butch piped up. He was hovering over her back, knees planted on the counter and thighs hugging Cel's hips. A droplet of what she guessed was sweat hit her spine - both of them were stripped down, her own shirt and bra off to let Butch have free roam of her back, and his shirt and pants because the Saloon's fans were broken. Cel could feel the fabric of his boxers against her lower back. "Have a little faith in me."

"I do, which is why I'm letting you do this in the first place."

They were still kids in the Vault when Cel had found Butch's sketch book and comic drafts. She had no idea why he ever hid it, because the guy had talent. So when he offered to tattoo art into her skin without telling her what it was, she had agreed on the condition that it wasn't part of another prank.

"S'almost done. Nobody tell 'er what it is yet," Butch ordered. "Charon, keep your mouth shut."

"I'll try," Charon said dryly.

Nova added while wrapping her arms around one of Gob's, "It really is beautiful. You'll love it, kid."

After Cel had killed Moriarty, Gob took over the Saloon, and it didn’t take long for him to come out of his shell. He was more assertive, more driven and confident and lively. Nova fell for him hard and fast, finally seeing the real man under the passive slave he had been made into. As for Butch and Charon, Butch had taken on the stoic and massive ghoul as a companion shortly after leaving the Vault, needing someone experienced at his back that wasn’t Celeste. Nobody saw it coming when they fell in love.

"One last little detail..." Butch mumbled to himself. "And... haha! Done!"

Cel wriggled out from under him, and they both raced each other to the restroom so Cel could look in the mirror, the jacket pressed into her chest to cover herself.

Fucking beautiful. Depicted on her back, head and tail aligned with her spine, was a snake filled with lines and dots of obsidian black, its eyes azure blue. It's lower body was coiled loosely under her shoulder blades.

"It's... what's it called? Serpent? Your favorite constellation."

"Serpens?" she questioned, eyes wide.

"Yeah. Consider that an artist's interpretation."

"Butch, it's..." She shook her head, at a loss for words. "Thank you."

"Sure. That'll be a thousand caps. Up front."

"I'll pay you in my friendship and support." She shrugged on the jacket, the lapels covering her breasts, then rocked onto the tips of her toes to plant a kiss on Butch's cheek. "Thank you for this."

He gave her a smile. "Any time, kid." Always 'kid' with him. Didn't matter that he was only 6 months older. "Let's get back outside with the others."

"Missing Charon already?"

"You would too if you knew 'im like I do."

"Aw." She nudged him, and they walked back out to the bar.


	4. Chapter 4

Cel hit the ground hard, her back skidding along gravel before she came to a stop and the Deathclaw that had thrown her appeared above her. It let out a roar that froze her blood, spit landing on her cheek.

_I shouldn't..._

But she did. She pulled her arm back and swung, and her Power Fist carried into the Deathclaw's jaw, knocking out one of its teeth as a burst of electricity went off on impact. The 'Claw seemed to freeze at that, its tongue snaking over the gap its tooth left behind before it slowly turned its gaze back to her.

_Definitely a bad idea._

She screwed her eyes shut and braced herself as the creature let out another, much angrier roar, but the deafening sound stopped cold, and the ground shook as the beast staggered, then fell. Cel scramble up with wide eyes and stared at the sight before her - a .50 caliber bullet imbedded in the Deathclaw's temple. 

That was the fifteenth time since Cel had left the Vault that she was saved by some mystery sniper, and with Jericho gone it was happening more often. She stood up, a feeling not so far off from frustration starting to roil in her chest. "Who are you?!" she cried out, looking around in jerking movement. 

Her Pip Boy crackled. _"Hello!— Ladies and gents, my name is— Slow—ne! Don't worry—! Friend."_  It wasn't a single voice - the words seemed to be pulled together from different voices of different frequencies, from both radio hosts and songs. 

"Sloane?" Cel called. "That's your name?"

 _"I can't hear you!"_ a radio personality prompted as an answer.

"SLOANE?!"

" _Yes ma'am!_ "

Cel nodded, bracing her hands on her hips. "Okay... Okay. Um..." She started looking around again. "Why are you helping me? And why the cloak and—"

" _Sshh, shhh..._ " Cel recognized the hushing from a Betty Hutton song. 

"WELL HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE IF YOU CAN'T HEAR ME?!"

_"We don't—. Carry on!"_

Dogmeat started chewing on the Deathclaw's wrist, trying to sever it like Cel had done with a couple other 'Claws. The mutt learned fast. "I got it, boy. Thanks." She took one last look around before shouting, "THANK YOU!"

"You're welcome—." A flash on her Pip Boy caught her attention, and she lifted her arm to see a message displayed on screen:

**:)**

So Sloane had obviously managed to hack the device. Somehow. Cel suspected that she should be more worried about this tidbit, but she didn't feel any sort of threat from her mysterious savior. 

She had so many more questions to ask along with the why of it. Who was Sloane exactly? How did they come across Cel? Did they follow her constantly, or just stay aware of her whereabouts? Did Sloane put a tracker on her Pip Boy too, or just hack it? 

Maybe... maybe it didn't matter. Sloane was obviously on her side, at least for the time being. So why worry? 

Cel got to her knees and pulled her combat knife from the holder inside her boot to start on the 'Claw's hand. This specific part of the body went for a lot of caps. "Fine. A friend's a friend. No matter how mysterious. Right, Dogmeat?"

The mutt barked in response, taking a seat beside her to wait as she sawed through flesh and bone.


End file.
